I Thought I Loved You Then
by kyla713
Summary: Law student Edward Cullen's only dream was to get into Harvard with the best of the best. But dreams change, or do they simply just grow with time. Inspired by the song "Then" by Brad Paisley. AH/AU
1. I Remember

**A/N: So this was **_**supposed**_** to be a short, simple oneshot that wouldn't leave my head one day after listening to the song "Then" by Brad Paisley. And as seems to be a problem with me, once I introduce characters to my brain, they tend to not shut up until they've had their say. It's still relatively short (six chapters and an epilogue, as it stands right now), and I'm working on editing it as quickly as possible so I can get it all posted. But it is complete, so no waiting forever and a day for me to actually finish a chapter and get it posted for you all. (I know how fail I've been at that, and I'm sorry :( ). And now that I've gotten this out of my head, I am working on wrapping up Playing the Part and All I Want For Christmas, as those two are the closest to completion. **

**Thank you all once again for all your support and for continuing to read my drabbles. It seriously warms my heart. And thank you Erica for keeping me encouraged and writing, even through the hell the last few months have been. You're the best!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight still belongs to Stephenie Meyer, that will never change. But they are still so fun to put in my little playgrounds.  
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><p><strong>Chapter 1 : I Remember…<strong>

I walked along the shoreline with Bella, my arm wrapped securely around her shoulders and watching the way her hair blew in the breeze off the ocean. Something about the way the light of the setting sun reflected off the water and highlighted the multiple hues of each strand was what had me mesmerized the first time I laid eyes on her. On that very beach, what felt like forever ago.

_**Five years earlier**_

"Have you seen Alice's new dormmate? Daaaaamn!" Emmett groaned in an almost pained voice, biting his fist for effect.

"Actually, yes, I have seen and met my _girlfriend's_ new dormmate," Jasper replied in annoyance, rolling his eyes and taking a sip of his beer. "She happens to be a very nice girl."

"Alice has turned you into such a _chick_, Jas," Emmett sighed in mock sympathy, grasping Jasper's shoulder and shaking his head.

I laughed as Jasper flipped him off, but was cut short as Emmett looked to me and I shook my head. "I prefer girls my own age, thanks. They at least have to be able to vote and drink."

"Well, you're in luck, my friend. Twenty-one, just transferred up here from Arizona, and smo-kin'," Emmett encouraged with his arm around my shoulders, oblivious to the not-so-subtle hints both Jasper and I were giving him.

Alice was Emmett's stepsister, which for years, made her like a sister to us all. Only once Mr. McCarty announced that he and his wife were divorcing did the entire dynamic of our associations change. She was completely devastated when her mother announced that they would be moving back to Oregon. She subsequently pleaded to be allowed to stay with Mr. McCarty, who was more of a father to her than her biological "donor" as she called him, for her final year of high school.

Alice refused to leave her friends, her school . . . or Jasper.

That revelation took everyone by surprise, no one more than Jasper, especially once Emmett began playing the big brother card. Yet, once they got together, it was suddenly clear to all of us what should have been obvious all along. Alice was completely smitten and Jasper guarded her with his life—they fit so perfectly.

For myself, however, I still couldn't get past the familial emotions surrounding Alice, and it was just an unwritten rule that you didn't hit on friends of your family—or family-like—members.

"Dude, seriously, I want to know what they put in the water down there in the desert, because shiiiiit," Emmett grunted, his head lulling back slightly.

"They don't have an abundance of water down there. It's a fucking desert," Jasper pointed out and I snorted into my beer.

"Oh fuck, maybe that's the secret. Up here, they are drenched, down there, they are denied. I'm moving to the fucking desert, man."

"All right, we get the message. She's hot, but I'm still not interested. I've got to put everything into school and studying this year if I have any chance of getting into Harvard next year," I said with more than a hint of irritation in my voice.

"Edward, your grades are nearly perfect. If you _don't_ get into Harvard, there's a serious problem. And I know your standards are high for yourself, but just remember that practically _no one_ passes the bar first time around, either," Jasper replied, shaking his head.

"Hence my efforts not to fuck around," I stated in a matter of fact tone.

Emmett made another painful sound, bringing our attention over to him. "But seriously, look at that!"

I sighed in exasperation, following the direction he was pointing with my eyes and I swore, it felt as if the Earth momentarily stopped spinning on its axis, as lame as that sounded. It was the only way I could describe the feeling of that moment.

The bonfire was just getting started as the sun was beginning to set, officially kicking off our end of summer beach party. Right to the side of it was the most beautiful girl I thought I'd ever seen, and I only had a view of her profile. The dampness of the air made it a little chilly, even for late August, and her shoulders were curled forward a little and her hands were tucked up into the sleeves of the massive green hoodie she wore. Being an "ass guy", I was a little disappointed that it covered her to about mid-thigh, but I quickly dismissed all other thoughts when her head turned toward us, with wisps of her hair blowing across her cheek.

There were no words. I was figuratively knocked flat on my ass when I got the first full glimpse of her. The dimming light of the sky made the angles of her face and cheekbones seem more pronounced, as well as the shadows around her eyes. Her fingertips peeked out from inside her sweatshirt to brush away a strand of hair that was stuck to her lip from the wind, and I became lost in the blends of reds and browns. That was until her eyes met mine from across the beach, and my throat closed in on itself.

"Ed, man. You look like you're about to throw up, or I don't know, jizz in your pants or something," Emmett so crudely stated, snapping me back to the moment and I punched him in the arm.

"Seriously, Emmett," Jasper said, rolling his eyes.

"What? He does!"

Jasper continued to admonish Emmett for his serious lack of tact and all around "appropriate for public" behavior, but it was drowned into the background as I met her eyes again. A small smile played at her lips before she whispered something to the girls around her, causing them to giggle, and then turned to walk toward me. She stumbled once on the sand on her way toward me and her face colored slightly, but before I knew it, she was standing right in front of me—and so help me if she wasn't more beautiful than she'd been at a distance.

"Hi. You're Edward, right?" she asked in the sweetest shy voice I'd ever heard, tucking a windblown tendril of hair behind her ear.

_Say something, you idiot! Don't just stand there gaping at her like a mindless moron,_ I mentally cursed myself, taking a sip of my beer to wet my parched throat and nearly choking on it as Emmett unceremoniously nudged my back. I shot him a brief glare before turning my gaze back to her. "Yes, I am."

"So I get to meet the elusive Mr. Cullen at last. And here I thought you lived in books," she said with a ravishing smile, tipping her own beer back at her lips.

"Alice!" I said through clenched teeth and a tightened jaw, my eyes finding the tiny brat's form in the middle of the now hysterical group. A soft laugh brought my attention back in front of me. "She exaggerates. I do more than study."

"Read. Practice tests. Stress over maintaining a better than perfect GPA and the celibacy level of a mo—Oof!" Emmett exclaimed with a loud gust of breath as the back of my fist met his stomach.

Her smile never wavered, even as she took her lower lip between her teeth. "Have a beer with the new girl, maybe?"

Emmett's jaw could have reached all the way to the sand with the shock he received at that request, to which I agreed. "I'd love to."

"Great. I'm Bella, by the way," she said, holding her hand out to me, which I graciously took and kissed her knuckles gently.

"It's very nice to meet you, Bella."

She and I spent the rest of the evening at the far end of the bonfire, talking and laughing over countless beers. Subtly, her body inched closer to me as the time passed until her shoulder brushed against my arm and her hand curled in the crook of my elbow.

When she removed her touch from me to check her watch, I fought back the shiver that threatened to course through my body at the lack of contact. Yet, all thought was gone when her eyes met mine again.

"I should probably go grab Alice. It's nearly one," Bella said in an almost sad tone, pushing herself up off the sand and brushing it off the back of her jeans. "So when are you going to ask me out?"

I was so mesmerized by her hand moving over the denim covering her ass, with her sweatshirt risen enough to see it, that her statement took me completely off-guard. "I'm sorry, what?"

Bella laughed and rolled her eyes before tugging her hoodie down and folding her arms around her. "Okay, I'll make this easy on you. Would you like to go out with me on Saturday night?"

If my eyebrows rose nearly as high as they felt they had, I must have been a serious sight to behold. The wind was almost literally knocked out of me, and for several moments, all I could do was stare at her in disbelief.

"You don't have to say yes. I just had a really great time here with you tonight, and thought maybe we could do something sometime without the crowd and the smoke," she continued, suddenly shy again and looking down to the ground.

"No! Yes. I mean, I would like that," I replied anxiously, her eyes rising nervously to meet mine again.

Her smile returned and she held out her hand to me. "Let me see your phone."

Pulling it from my pocket, I set it in her palm and watched as her thumbs began moving over the buttons until her own phone rang in her purse.

"Edward. Cullen," she said as she typed in my name, smirking up at me as she chose the ringtone to accompany it—"Sexyback" by Justin Timberlake. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, which was pretty easy considering how adorable I found her at that moment. She slipped the phone back into her purse and stepped closer, brushing her lips softly on my cheek and just as quickly pulling back. "Perfect. Give me a call Friday night, or before if you'd like."

As she walked away, I looked back down at my phone and took a picture of her looking over her shoulder at me for her contact photo. What surprised me was that she smiled sweetly.

How could I possibly wait until Friday to hear her voice again?


	2. A Real Fine Place To Start

**A/N: Still working through editing these chapters, but I'm trying to get at least one out a day, so hopefully all seven parts will be posted before too long. **

**Chapter title comes from one of my favorite songs by Sara Evans, and I thought it was cutely appropriate.**

**Thank you again for reading, and to Erica for helping me out with polishing these up.**

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><p><strong>A Real Fine Place To Start<strong>

I must have stared at her number and that picture a million times over the following week, coming so close to hitting send. Yet somehow, I always managing to wait until something came around to distract me, giving me an excuse as to why I didn't call.

Yeah, that's right. Edward Cullen—law student, on the dean's list every damn semester, IQ of 178, relatively attractive according to my female classmates, could easily have a different date every week, if I truly wanted one—and I couldn't articulate a decipherable sentence when it came to talking to a member of the opposite sex. I was a complete chicken shit when it came to women.

The beer I'd consumed the previous weekend had eased me up a little, brought down the barrier and I actually enjoyed a conversation with a woman. Bella had somehow made it so easy, but would it be the same when I was completely sober? Or would she take one listen to my stammering mumbling over the phone, and change her mind about the date.

My palms were sweating uncontrollably as I paced the floor of my apartment on Friday night, trying to work up the courage to call her.

"Edward, you're making me dizzy just watching you. Just call her already," Jasper said in exasperation, and I could tell that he was trying to be encouraging. "She asked you on a date, she obviously likes you. What do you have to be nervous about?"

"Um, maybe the date part?" I replied, running my free hand through my hair. "Or even _getting_ to the date part."

"Honestly, you sound like a bumbling virgin or something," Jasper stated and I shot him a glare.

Jasper, more than others, knew that wasn't far from the truth. Technically, I wasn't a virgin. I'd had sex dozens of times … with one girl. It came out in a stupid game of Truth or Dare in my sophomore year of college—again, under the influence of alcohol at a party—that I'd never even gotten as far as third base with anyone. And that night, my friend, Tanya, brought me to her room and that was the night I not only got my first blow job, but also lost my virginity. At almost twenty years old. I never dated her, since we were both more focused on our grades, but as she put it, we were helping out each other. She got tension relief without the hassle of maintaining a relationship, and I got experience. She taught me so much on what to do in order to please a woman, but I had yet to utilize those skills on anyone else.

So really, was I actually that far from being a virgin still?

"Dude, if you don't dial that phone, I'm gonna do it for you. And then, you won't have to worry about a date at all," Jasper said with a raised eyebrow.

"All right! I'm calling," I groaned, selecting Bella's number again and holding my breath as I listened to it ring four times.

"Hey, I thought you were going to stand me up or something," Bella's voice came through and I could hear the teasing smile in her voice. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to formulate a response that didn't make me sound like a complete imbecile. Naturally, I came up with nothing once again. "Edward? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Sorry. I just got really busy this week, with school starting and all, you know," I stammered nervously, my eyes trained on the floor.

"Lies, lies, lies, yeah," Jasper sang softly from the couch where he say reading.

"Hold on a second, Bella," I said, clenching my jaw and grabbing one of the throw pillows from the other end and pitching it at his head, mouthing "douchebag" at him. Not only did he know that the song "Lies" by the Thompson Twins was among the top ten of all time that made my skin crawl; but the chance that Bella could have heard him and gotten the wrong idea pissed me right the fuck off. I could still hear him chuckling under his breath as I stormed back to my bedroom and closed the door behind me. "Sorry about that. My roommate can be a real asshole sometimes."

Bella's laughter filled my ear and it even brought me to smile slightly as well. "Yeah, Jasper is a real piece of work all right."

I squeezed my eyes shut and audibly smacked my forehead. "Of course you've met Jasper. You're Alice's dormmate."

"Are you _always_ this critical of yourself?" she asked curiously.

"Only when I'm being a complete idiot, and that varies in frequency," I grumbled under my breath and she responded with another giggle. "So, about tomorrow."

Bella hummed softly and took a deep breath. "We _are_ still on, right?"

I felt my brow rise in astonishment with her question. She'd seemed so strong and confident a moment before, and suddenly, she sounded inexplicably nervous. "Unless you've changed your mind."

"No, not at all. Where would you like to meet?"

**x-x-x**

It was just a simple night out to dinner, but it was one of the best of my life. After about an hour, my nerves began receding to a point that we were talking almost as effortlessly as we had that first evening, until it came time to go home. I walked her to her car, tossing the idea back and forth of kissing her goodnight. Was it too soon? Would she even _want_ me to kiss her? Was I assuming too much that because I had enjoyed _her_ company for the three and a half hours we'd sat at that table, that it was mutual?

In the end, we didn't kiss; we just said goodnight and went our separate ways. By the time I walked in my front door, it was obvious that Bella had already spoken to Alice, because I was met by a swat to the head from Jasper. I didn't even begin to question its purpose—that part was all too clear. I had ruined any chance I might have had with Bella due to my high levels of social awkwardness, and I knew that was bound to make things uncomfortable for all involved.

Imagine my surprise when, the following afternoon, I got another call from her, asking if I would be at all interested in going out with her again the following weekend. There was no way I was saying no to that, and for that entire week, I gave myself nearly constant pep talks to not do anything stupid that time.

Everything was going great; I'd even gotten so bold as to reach for her hand and take it in mine as we sat watching a movie that we both lost interest in after about twenty minutes. Her teeth dragged slowly over her lower lip as she filled the spaces between my fingers with hers, and then lifted her questioning eyes to mine, as if to silently ask if it was all right. I smiled and gave her hand a slight squeeze, to which she responded in kind, and gently rested her head on my shoulder.

We spent the remainder of the movie watching our fingers gliding along the other's, and I reveled in just how soft she was, the coolness of her touch in contrast to the heat it was causing beneath my skin. I didn't want to let her go, even once I'd walked her to the front steps of her door, and again, the war began brewing inside me.

As with the time before, I chickened out in the end, but I did summon the courage to try asking _her_ out.

"Maybe this time, we can order take out and go to my place. Jasper's heading home for the weekend, so it'll be a little more private," I said in a hushed tone as I stared at the ground between us. She was so quiet afterward, I was worried that maybe I was mumbling more than I thought and she hadn't heard me. However, when I finally looked up to her and found her gazing at me with a raised eyebrow, I gasped and began quickly retracing my steps. "Oh, no no. I wasn't implying…damn it. I just meant that there's supposed to be a meteor shower next weekend, and I thought we could go up to the roof of my apartment building to watch, if the weather cooperates. If not, I mean, we could rent a movie or something. Just thought it might be something a little different. I wasn't at all trying to…"

"Edward?" Bella whispered, bringing my attention back to her with a squeeze of her hand around mine. "That sounds great. I'm not a big fan of public places myself. But I'm actually heading home to Forks next weekend, too. It's my dad's birthday on Friday, and mine is this Tuesday. Kind of a family celebratory thing. It was my stepmother's idea."

I laughed nervously as she rolled her eyes at the end of her statement and lowered my gaze to the ground once again, hoping against hope that my face wasn't nearly as red as it felt. "Oh. Well, Happy Birthday, then."

"Thank you," she whispered and then her body seemed to tense slightly. "I don't know if it's a possibility, but I'd still really like to see you on Saturday, if it is."

Would I be willing to drive for a few hours to spend a little more time with her? Even though it would mean I'd be stuck in Forks for the night, since long distance driving in the dark was _not_ a good idea for me? Was she worth that?

The answer was yes. To all of the above—yes.

"I'll be there," I tried to reply as calmly as possible, but it was rendered futile when she smiled in response and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around my neck slowly. Her body felt so amazing and warm against mine and I closed my eyes, willing myself to not make a complete ass of myself by getting aroused by something as simple as a hug. _That _wouldn't send her running or anything, I thought sarcastically.

Yet even as I did…she didn't. In fact, I even felt her lips brushing against my cheek as she gradually pulled away, her smile still in place. "I'll text you the address once I get inside."

I opened my eyes again to look at her in time to see her shiver and I stepped back more; I hadn't noticed quite how chilly it had gotten. "Okay, sounds good."

"Goodnight, Edward."

I stood in shocked amazement at her soft smile and shy nod as she turned to step inside and out of the chilled evening air. I'd never met a woman like her before in my entire life. She wasn't put off by my lack of ability to socialize like a normal twenty-three year old man, or a guy in general. There was no way, with her pressed up against me as she was just a moment before, that she didn't feel my body's response to her closeness, but she didn't make a big deal out of it as others would. She just seemed to have a way of putting me at ease, when no one else would have bothered to waste their time with me.

_On Saturday, I'm going to do it. I'm going to kiss Bella Swan_, I chanted to myself until "Saturday" became "tonight", and I began the drive to Forks with the Googlemap on the seat beside me. With each mile that passed, I felt the nervous side of myself slowly creeping to the surface, peaking once I pulled to a stop in front of the address on the printout in my hand. Despite the obvious presence of her car in the driveway, I checked my phone one last time, verifying the address in the text from her.

"Yup, this is it," I mumbled to myself and took a cleansing breath before getting out of the car and making my way to the front door.

Before my knuckles could even make contact with the wood, it swung open and she stepped out, closing it quickly behind her.

"Hi," she breathed out heavily, wincing as the door opened again to reveal a beautiful, middle-aged woman standing behind her. "Edward, this is Sue, my nosy stepmother. Sue, this is Edward Cullen, the guy I've been seeing."

"Well, Bella didn't tell us she had a boyfriend. Or else, I'm sure her father wouldn't have been so quick to go fishing this morning," the woman said, her eyes never leaving me while a kind smile came across her lips.

"Sue!" Bella half-heartedly hiss with wide eyes, reaching out to take my hand and began walking down the front steps.

"It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Swan," I said politely over my shoulder as Bella led me out to my car, stopping at the passenger side.

"Same here, Edward. Have fun, kids," she called out and then disappeared back into the house, obviously chuckling.

"I am _so_ sorry about that, Edward," Bella sighed as I opened the door for her and she lowered into the car, and then I quickly walked around to do so myself. "I was really trying to stealthily get ready to go, but there's only so many layers I can explicably wear for a night of just 'hanging around the house'."

"It's okay, Bella," I replied once she finally stopped for breath, glancing over to her briefly to take in her attire. Under her jacket, she wore a thick, gray sweater, the collar bunching high around her neck and the bottom reaching her thighs, and gloved hands poking out from the sleeves. Long black jeans covered her legs all the way down to the matching boots with a small heel. Such a simple outfit, but she made it look so damn beautiful. I returned my gaze to the road, clearing my throat. "I knew there was a chance of me meeting your dad or stepmother tonight, if not both. It _is_ their house, after all. I guess I just wasn't expecting them to know nothing of me."

I felt her eyes on me as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat while I drove. Was she embarrassed by me? Worried about how I would interact with her parents? As much as I attempted to hide my insecurities rearing their ugly heads, once again, it was as if she could read every thought I was having.

"Anything you're thinking right now, it couldn't be farther from the truth," Bella said, sliding her hand around the crook of my elbow. "I just know how Sue gets about things like this. I swear, for the whole three months I've been back up here, she's been asking me if I've met anyone yet. I think I may have even had her convinced that I was a lesbian."

I laughed briefly at her last statement and then stopped as she leaned her head on my shoulder, taking my hand from the steering wheel and holding it in hers.

"This is still just so new, and I wanted us to be able to move at our own pace and figure things out ourselves, before people started putting labels on us."

"Like boyfriend?" I chuckled to hide the nervousness of saying that word, and to her, for the first time.

Bella laughed softly and gripped my hand securely in hers, keeping her eyes lowered. "Yeah, something like that."

I sighed heavily as the first drops of rain struck my windshield and officially ruined our plans for the evening. I'd had a glimmer of hope remaining all afternoon that the looming clouds would dissipate, but naturally, as my luck ran, they thickened more the closer I came to Forks. And there I sat, on a date with the most amazing girl I'd ever met—with absolutely nothing to do. No backup plan, nothing. I felt like a complete idiot. "Damn. I guess we could just go out to dinner instead."

"Well, where were we originally going?" she asked quietly, bringing her gaze up to me.

"The beach," I mumbled in response, feeling my face heat slightly as I averted my eyes away from her. Not only was the beach nearly deserted that time of year, but it also held sentimental value to me of where I'd first seen her.

"Take me there," she said and my head turned to face her briefly. "We shouldn't let a little rain ruin everything."

That night, I learned an invaluable lesson—perfection is very rarely planned. Once we got to the beach, she reached above her head to open the cover of the sunroof while I sorted through the take out we'd picked up from the diner. We sat there in the quiet while we ate; our seats leaned all the way back as we watched the rain pelting down against the roof. It was one of the single most relaxing experiences of my life. That was, until we finished eating and her hand returned to mine, her head resuming its position on my shoulder.

As her other hand slid around my arm, I heard her take a deep breath and then tilt her face up to look at me. "You know, I think I kinda like the label of 'boyfriend'. Has a certain quality about it."

Her words and smile halted my breath and my heart, still unable to reply as she pressed her lips to my shoulder briefly before resting her cheek back against it. My eyes never left her for the remainder of the night, from watching her eyes gazing up at the falling rain to when they began closing. I could have stayed there all night, holding her hand while she drifted off to sleep beside me. And that was when the realization hit me with a startling intensity…

After just three weeks and the same number of dates, I was falling hard for the first time in my life, with the amazing woman next to me.

I finally drove her back to her parents' house, running through the sheets of rain in my effort to walk her to the door. Despite how tired she must have been and how raw and damp it was outside, she seemed just as hesitant to end our evening as I was. Her arms slid around me beneath my jacket and I gently rubbed my hands along her back to warm her, just to give us a few extra minutes. A few became fifteen; fifteen became thirty. And still, neither of us was willing to move, even once the rain began to dwindle to barely more than a drizzle, as if searching for something to say to keep us there.

"So, are you heading back tonight or waiting 'til morning?" Bella asked softly with her eyes lowered.

"Morning," I replied, clearing my throat of the frog that seemed to have taken up residence there before attempting to speak again. "I'm going back in the morning. Figured I should probably at least say hello to my parents as well while I'm down here."

Bella chuckled softly, while keeping her eyes down. "Of course. You definitely should. I'm sure they wouldn't be all too amused if you didn't, and they found out you came down here just for a girl."

Even through her quiet laughter, I noticed the shift in her voice, carrying an almost scolding tone for herself. My hands rested on the small of her back and pulled her a little closer, trying to coax her into looking up at me. When she didn't do so on her own, I lifted her chin gently with my fingertips. "What's wrong?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders dismissively, her eyes shifting in their attempts to avoid mine. "Nothing. I was just being stupid and selfish and not even thinking about the fact that your parents would want to see you, too."

"Tell me," I whispered, seeing it written all over her features, even in the dim light of the porch, that she was diverting.

Bella shifted uneasily from foot to foot, her lip caught between her teeth as I felt her fingers curl around the fabric of my shirt behind me. "Well, I'm heading back in the morning, too. So I was thinking maybe we could meet up for breakfast or something before we left. But I'm sure you'll already be having breakfast with your parents, so don't worry about it. Maybe I can see you sometime this week?"

I couldn't help but smile as I cupped her cheek with my hand, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. I could never get accustomed to the idea that she wanted to spend time with me even a fraction as much as I did with her. She truly was the most remarkable woman in the world to me. "Actually, my parents are more of the 'coffee is the other breakfast food group' type. So maybe brunch before we hit the road?"

Her eyes lit up with her nod as she gazed up at me. "I'd really like that."

"And Bella?" I began, attempting to disguise my nervous, hard swallow as she watched me expectantly, waiting for me to continue. "I hope you realize that you're more than 'just a girl' to me. And I kinda like the label of 'boyfriend', too, if you don't mind the one of 'girlfriend'."

Bella's smile grew as she closed her eyes for a moment, releasing a shaky breath and flattening her palms against my back. "I don't mind that in the slightest."

I watched her gaze return to mine as I brushed her cheek with my thumb, and then slowly began moving my face closer to hers. I kept waiting for her to pull away or retract at the last minute, but instead, she lifted slightly onto her toes in anticipation. It almost seemed as if she'd stopped breathing until I met my lips with hers in our first kiss.

And once it started, I never wanted it to stop. My arms closed more securely around Bella and her hand appeared from beneath my jacket to trace her fingers along my cheek. Whether it was the kiss or the warmth of her touch against my cool skin, I wasn't sure, but a shiver ran through my entire body and our chests pressed more firmly against each other. Our lips never became fierce or forceful, but melted into a gentle, passionate rhythm with the other's. It was a perfect kiss, even with someone as awkward as I was.

Bella hummed softly as we pulled away, and I opened my eyes to see her smiling contentedly up at me. "Totally worth the wait. Call me in the morning when you want to meet up?"

The heat of my face seemed intensified by the raw air surrounding me, and I could barely manage a nod as she slowly removed herself from my arms and whispered a soft goodnight as she stepped inside the house.

She was right. It had been worth the wait. And now that I'd had one, I could hardly wait for another. Since I was now her boyfriend, would I be able to obtain another kiss more freely?


	3. Gravity of Love

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews, they truly brighten my day immeasurably. I'm so glad you all seem to love this Edward as much as I feel in love with him while I was writing him. :)**

**Chapter title borrowed from one of the most passionate songs I think I've ever heard and and after many years, continues to be one of my most frequent that I listen to while writing intense emotional scenes, or lemons. This chapter, and I guess the story in general, is pretty light in intensity in comparison to several of my other stories, but the title seemed to fit once again.**

**Thank you again to all of you reading and of course to Erica for easing my nervous jitters :)**

**Hope you all enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Gravity of Love<strong>

I quickly found myself cursing my idiotic behavior, for being so nervous and taking so long to kiss Bella the first time. As time passed, it became something I didn't even think twice about. Whether we were walking together, sitting and watching television, lying in bed, or even at the table doing our homework, I could easily lean over to her any time and kiss those soft lips of hers. And there was rarely an instance when it wasn't met by a return smile from her.

Three months passed, and before we knew it, we were staring in the face of Christmas break. What had started out as seeing each other Fridays _and_ Saturdays, gradually increased to the entire weekend. Then a Tuesday or Wednesday, and spending the night together on Friday, Saturday or both. Until finally, we were seeing each other for at least an hour or two every day. And the idea that I would be spending the first week of our break without her lessened the appeal of going home before then by a lot, but I wouldn't begrudge her of visiting with her mother down in Phoenix—so I kept my childish pouting contained.

In addition, we had yet to take our relationship to the ultimate physical level. There had been a lot of passionate kissing and above the clothes exploring, and even a bit beneath, but we hadn't even seen each other completely naked, let alone come close to having sex.

It wasn't that we didn't _want _to, but there were a few contributing factors.

The first was obviously opportunity. Neither of us really wanted our first time to be in a forced awkward silence, with my best friend and her dormmate right on the other side of the wall. _They_ may not have had any shame in regards to their sex life and letting the entire neighborhood know about it each time, but not so much with us.

Second was our perception of sex. We'd discussed our previous experiences, so Bella knew of my late bloomer status and my prior arrangement with Tanya, and on that same token, I knew of each of her previous intimate relationships. She wasn't _overly_ experienced, but she definitely had more basis for comparison than I did. We also agreed that what we had together was different than anything we'd shared with anyone else, and we didn't want to spoil it by rushing into things with each other.

Which led directly into the third, albeit was more on my part, I believed. From that first kiss, I knew there was no doubt how I felt about her. And since that night, those feelings had only grown, but neither of us had actually _voiced_ anything. I was so damn scared of screwing up with her and didn't want to push her away by saying those three words before we'd reached that level of our relationship. In reality, I was afraid of rejection, still not understanding what she saw in me, and terrified that she wouldn't feel the same. And on a more basic note, even if she did, what if I didn't measure up to her previous experiences. I'd been with _one_ girl in college, and she'd been with … well, it was definitely more than one. And the most recent had been on the track team—surely, at the very least, that would count for some stamina. Not to mention the muscle tone that I severely lacked in comparison.

On the last night before she was to leave for Arizona, we were alone in my apartment for the first time—Jasper and Alice having returned home the night before. The movie we'd been watching had ended and we were once again encased in each other's arms, our lips moving together passionately. Her leg draped over mine, which was nothing exceedingly out of the ordinary, but then a sound I'd never heard resonated in her throat.

Not that I'd never heard my girlfriend moan before—otherwise, I would have been even _more_ doubtful that I aroused Bella in any way. But what escaped her as she hoisted her body to straddle my legs and drove her hands into my hair was not the soft whimpers and muted rumblings that came from me pleasuring her with my fingers, the furthest we'd allowed ourselves to go … twice. It was deeper, needier, and less restrained than ever.

"I'm going to miss you," Bella whispered, rocking her body gently against mine in time with her kisses to my lips.

"I'm going to miss you, too," I replied as my hands ran along her sides and my eyes took in every inch of her face, committing her further to my memory. "I wish you didn't have to go, but I know you do."

"Edward, I want this to be the night," she murmured, resting her forehead against mine and sliding further up my thighs. "Please, I'm going crazy just thinking about not being able to see you at all for a whole week. We have the entire apartment to ourselves, nothing and no one to disturb us. It couldn't be more perfect."

My heart started racing erratically as her lips reclaimed mine in a soft, gentle kiss and when I swallowed hard, she pulled back slowly and gazed at me questioningly.

"You don't want to?"

"Believe me, Bella, that is not the case in any shape, way, or form," I said breathily, sliding my arms around her waist and pulling her closer. We both released soft gasps as she came in firm contact with my erection—evidence of how much I absolutely _did_ want to.

Bella closed her eyes and breathed out, in what seemed like relief, her fingertips running lightly along my neck and her lips brushing mine again. "Then what is it?"

How could I answer her without sounding like a completely insecure _boy_? Women liked men who were confident and sure of themselves when it came to things like that, right? But I had so much difficulty pretending with her. Not only did I hate lying to her at all, but she could always see right through me anyway. I sighed and rested my head back against the couch, settling my gaze on the ceiling. "What if you're disappointed? And that's how things are left before you leave for Arizona."

"I honestly don't see how that could happen," Bella replied in a reassuring voice.

"I've been with one girl, Bella. _One_," I emphasized, bringing my eyes back to hers. "And we were nothing more than a means to an end for each other. But you … you matter to me."

"You matter to me, too, Edward. And that's why I want to share this with you, more than I have with any of the other _three_," she said, ending with a slightly amused tone and a quirked eyebrow. Her features slowly resumed a serious expression, and her fingers traced along my jaw. "It's not _all_ about the sex, but I'm not really worried about that, either. Especially, if what you can do with these is any indication."

My eyes widened at her deepened tone as she took my hand and brought it to her lips, lightly ghosting them over my fingertips before kissing them gently and rising from my lap. With a gentle tug on my hand, she coaxed me to stand with her and she began guiding me through the apartment, leading me toward my bedroom and pushed the door closed behind me.

As we stood there beside my bed, I watched her shiver and her eyes flickered slightly, shifting back and forth between mine. She suddenly appeared nervous again, slowly unbuttoning my shirt and pushing it over my shoulders. Did she honestly believe that I didn't want this just as much as she seemed to, that I didn't want _her_? I brought my lips to hers again, running my hands along her hips and then back up, sliding them beneath her shirt, groaning at the soft skin of her back beneath my touch. I felt her fingers tracing over my bare chest until her arms rose over her head as I lifted her shirt off her body, quickly pulling her to me again.

I kissed along her neck as her arms encircled my back and we slowly lowered to the bed. Our lips parted as her head settled onto the pillow and I looked down at her lying beneath me. She looked so incredibly beautiful, gazing up at me with those deep brown eyes and her hair fanned out over my pillow. I could see that she was right before; it _wasn't_ about the sex. It wasn't a race for gratification, otherwise, we'd be tearing each other's clothes from our bodies, and I'd be buried deep inside her right at that moment. It was about moving to the next stage of our relationship.

We spent the next several minutes slowly undressing and taking in the other, touching until we were lying together beneath the covers, with my body situated between her legs. Her fingertips traced along my shoulder blades as she stared up at me, shifting her hips toward mine and pressing my tip inside her. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, restraining myself from reflexively plunging deep inside her, and ending it before we even really began.

"Edward? Make love to me," she whispered with her lips brushing against mine.

Slowly, I began sliding into her, and I felt every one of her muscles constrict around me in response. I held my breath, concentrating hard on holding back until I was fully inside her. When I finally opened my eyes, I watched a tear escape the corner of hers, trailing over her temple. "Bella, what is it? Did I hurt you?"

Bella's head began to move slowly back and forth, her lip trembling as she looked up at me again. "No. This is the most amazing I've ever felt. Never better."

She pulled me down flush to her and kissed me, and as I began to move inside her, I relished in the feel and sounds of Bella. She was soft and warm, and she molded tightly around me. Her hips rocked in perfect rhythm with mine. She released soft sighs and moans, the only "oh God" she uttered being when her back arched and she clenched around me more firmly; nothing like the porn star noises of my past, for which, I was glad.

Bella was real; what was between us was real, with no need for flashy exaggerations. And when I reached my release, her arms clung around me to hold me against her until we rolled together to the side and her head settled on my chest.

"I love you," I murmured as my fingers massaged gently through her hair and I felt her eyelashes flutter against my skin and her lips pressed to my chest.

"You know, most guys say that beforehand to get a girl _into_ bed," Bella replied in an amused tone, confusing me and causing my gaze to move down to her. Was she mocking me? My question was answered quickly when she lifted her head to gaze at me with her tear-filled eyes and rested her chin on the back of her hand. "When you can say it afterward and your heart races the same way it did before, you can't fake that. I love you, too."

I felt her fingers trace lightly over my chest as she continued to gaze at me, but my heart somehow managed to pound more rapidly than it had before with her words. She loved me, and I swore I could have died a happy man right then and there.

* * *

><p><strong>An 2: I was asked in a review how I made this only seven chapters long in total. As I mentioned at the beginning of the first chapter, this was originally supposed to be a short sweet little one-shot, but it started getting really long. And upon reading it over afterward, it seemed like the best idea to break it up into a short story. It's not nearly as drama ridden or indepth as some of my other multi-chapter stories, but seemed like more than a one-shot as well. **

**Hope to see you all back tomorrow :)**


	4. Plans and Promises

**Plans and Promises**

They say that time flies when you're having fun, and unfortunately, I had to agree with the theoretical "them". I had become so entranced within my relationship with Bella, especially after the agonizing time apart over Christmas, that I found it difficult to concentrate on anything else, other than my schoolwork. It was fortunate that she was just as dedicated to getting her degree in Psychology as I was to getting into Harvard, and we even spent many of our nights together at my kitchen table with our textbooks. Every once in a while, we'd still glance up for the occasional quick kiss, but then it was right back to our work.

Then, just about mid-semester, I received what I had been both waiting and working my ass off for years to attain—my acceptance letter from Harvard Law. When Bella came over that night, I couldn't wait to tell her, but the moment I did, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Cambridge, Massachusetts was a long way from Seattle, Washington, and from Bella. Her congratulatory smile was genuine, as were the tears of realization that hadn't seemed to hit her until that moment as well. I couldn't give up Harvard, but I also couldn't even begin to imagine giving her up, either. Even though everything was still relatively new for us, barely into the seventh month of our relationship, my love for her had grown by leaps and bounds, more than I thought possible. And over spring break, instead of heading for warm beaches or some other exotic locale, or even back home, we spent the time alone together in my apartment, discussing our game plan for the following year in length.

"Edward, it's not that big of a deal. I was planning on going for my Master's anyway after this, and worst-case scenario, I take a semester off. I have more than one option here, baby," Bella said one night as we lounged on the couch together, her body nestled between my legs as she lay back against my chest. "But being that far away from you is _not_ one of them."

"I don't want to be away from you, either, Bella. But I can't expect you to give everything up for me. That's just not realistic," I replied with my face resting against her hair.

"It's not like Washington is the only place I can get my Master's. I can even do it online, if I really need to. I'm not giving anything up," she argued, tilting her head up to look at me.

"Your father and step-mother?"

"My mother in Phoenix," she countered my logic with a quirked eyebrow. "I'm a big girl. I don't need Mom or Dad around to take care of me, but I _do_ need you. I'm not giving you up."

Her dark eyes held mine as she brought her fingertips back to trace along my jaw before meeting my lips with hers. My hand rose to her hair and pulled the tie free, feeling the soft strands cascading over my arm as it fell and she shifted onto her side. Her hip grazed my cock and caused an involuntary groan to escape me as my other hand gripped her thigh. The heat of our kiss intensified, our bodies moving together, until somehow, our positions had reversed, with me settled between her legs instead. Though still fully clothed, our hips rocked together in a grinding motion while her fingers clawed at my back anxiously. I froze in my motions and rested my forehead on hers, fighting to restrain the need to release from the repeated gliding of my length against her.

Our heavy breaths mingled together as we lay perfectly still, with the exception of her hands running gently over my shoulder blades. I wanted her desperately, but we had never taken anything further than that in the living room I shared with Jasper, nor did we ever have any intention of it. I'd always felt the need to keep something that intimate between us private, within our own space, and she seemed to agree. However, I had to admit, I longed for the opportunity to experience complete spontaneity with her without any limits. To have the freedom to lie with her on the couch, wrapped in nothing but a blanket after surrendering to our need for each other the instant it presented itself. I wanted to know what it was like to be uninhibited with her, without any lingering worry of a roommate walking in or hearing us through the thin, shared wall of our bedrooms, even when he was miles away.

"Move in with me," I whispered and swallowed hard before opening my eyes to gaze down at Bella. Her fingers halted in their movements as she stared back at me and I could see the thoughts racing behind her brown depths. The nervousness welled back up inside me with each silent second that passed and I could feel my pulse pounding in my throat. "I mean, I would _like_ you to move in with me, if you decided to come to Massachusetts. But I understand if it's too much, too fast. I know we haven't even been together for a year yet and it's a huge step, but I also know that you're it for me, and I want to be with you every day. I can wait, though, if you're not ready for something like th—"

Bella silenced me by bringing her fingers to press to my mouth, her lips trembling with her growing smile. "Stop doubting yourself so much whenever you take a chance in our relationship."

"It's not so much the 'chance' as it is my mouth running before using my brain. It should be a discussion, not blurted out that way," I mumbled and closed my eyes as I felt her fingers thread into my hair.

"Edward, sometimes I would rather you not think about things so much. It just means that it's coming straight from your heart," Bella replied, brushing a soft kiss on my lips and tightening her arms around me. "And that's the part of you I love the most. But actually, if you hadn't suggested it, I would have."

My eyes shot open again to find her still smiling up at me. "You want to live with me?"

Bella rolled her eyes and laughed softly, pushing me up to sit again and straddling my legs. "After seven months, you're still _that_ surprised by any interest I have in you? And it would make sense that two struggling students to share one apartment rather than paying two separate rents and other expenses. Especially since, most days, only one would be occupied."

I felt my heart plummet back to my chest, nodding in response to her. Roommates. She wanted to be roommates.

"And that look on your face tells me everything I need to know," Bella whispered, running her nails lightly along my scalp. "The practicality of it is as low on the list of reasons for you as it is for me. I want to be _with_ you, Edward. I want to wake up to this body pressed against me every single morning. To never have to pack another overnight bag, and let it gather dust on the floor of _our_ closet. And _never_ have to say 'bye' again, but 'see when I get home'. I love you, and _you_ are the reason I'm saying yes."

"Oh God, I love you," I replied with a breathy sigh, capturing her lips again and lifting her from the couch. A soft giggle sounded in her throat as her legs encircled my waist, holding onto me tightly until I kicked my bedroom door closed behind us.

**x-x-x**

To say my parents were surprised by my announcement that my girlfriend and I were moving in together come August, would have been a definite understatement of facts. They'd met Bella, of course; I'd taken her with me on several visits home. I supposed that there were more surprised by the action itself, rather than their opinion of her or the speed with which we were moving, given that I'd never even mentioned a desire to do so before. Perhaps they expected an engagement or marriage first, who knew.

Her family, on the other hand, surprised me even more, if at all possible. Being the chief of police, I expected her dad to go for his shotgun upon hearing of our plans, or at the very least, interrogate me to within an inch of my life, followed by a lecture on the proper respect due his little girl and him as her father.

Chief Swan's initial response scared me even more, however, and it appeared to have a similar effect on his wife and daughter. His hands folded at his lips and his brow furrowed as he seemingly stared at nothing, causing Sue to gently place her hand on his shoulder and give it a subtle shake.

"I'm fine," he said in a monotone voice, his eyes still unmoving for several long seconds before rising to Bella. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

I felt her fingers slide between mine, gripping my hand in a firm, but gentle hold, and nodding with her response. "Yes, Dad. I'm very sure."

"All you've talked about since you were a little girl was coming back up here and working in Seattle, even before you knew exactly what you wanted to do. It was your dream, baby," he replied. His forehead creased but his eyes held a deep sadness I couldn't understand.

Was he upset that she was leaving so soon? Bella had told me little about her relationship with her father; as she put it, there was "little to tell". Occasional holiday visits since her mother moved away with her, the unfailing birthday and Christmas card with money inside to buy herself a gift, and the accompanying phone call. They weren't exactly what one would consider close.

However, the man in front of us looked devastated as he gazed at Bella, and suddenly, it became clear. He'd been _counting_ on his daughter returning to Seattle, closer to him, where possibility of building their relationship actually existed. I thought back over the last year; to the trip to Forks we'd made for the Superbowl, the way his face lit up on opening day for the Mariners when Bella walked up the driveway in her brand new jersey. And of course, the hilarious confrontation between the two of them when Bella mentioned the Arizona Diamondbacks, that eventually left us all in a fit of uproarious laughter. Each Sunday dinner, which always ended in an awkward, but loving hug between father and child, before we'd head back to Seattle.

Charlie Swan loved his daughter more than anything in the world and finally felt as if they were forming the bond that had obviously been denied them for so many years. And my chest ached with the anguish I could see displaying on his features, and the accompanying guilt that I would be the cause of his little girl being taken away again.

When we returned to my apartment that night, we were both a little more solemn and quiet than usual, and decided to go directly to bed. Yet sleep refused to claim either of us. Lying there with her body pressed against my side, I distractedly ran my hand back and forth from her shoulder to her elbow until she finally looked up at me.

"It's pretty busy up there tonight," Bella whispered, tracing her fingertips across my forehead and then pressing a kiss to my lips. "Wanna talk about it?"

I closed my eyes as my arm secured around her, gripping her waist gently with my hand. "Will you regret coming with me?"

Once I'd gotten the words out, I brought my gaze to her face and found her gaping at me with wide eyes. "What?"

I sighed heavily and sat up, bending my legs to prop my elbows on them. "I had no idea how important it was for you to move back up here to live near your dad, since you were a kid. Your dream was to move back to Seattle? Why didn't you tell me?"

I felt the bed shift as she rose to sit behind me and gently pressed her lips to my shoulder, her arms sliding around my waist. "Dreams change, Edward. I also wanted to be a shortstop for the Mariners when I was four, and as you can see, that didn't pan out, either."

"Bella, I'm serious," I replied, turning my head to look back at her.

"So am I," she said, all traces of humor disappearing from her face in an instant. "It's not like we'll never come back, even if only to visit, right? Your family is here, too, after all. But my future is with you, wherever that might be."

I brought my hand to cover hers on my stomach, weaving my fingers between hers and lifting it to kiss her palm lightly. "We _will_ come back. I promise."

**x-x-x**

The search for an apartment and jobs for the both of us was tedious, to put it mildly, and after graduation, we took the trip to Massachusetts together to check a few places in person. At first, nothing really struck our interest and we began to feel a little discouraged that we might not find anything at all.

Until the day before we were set to head back home, after a week of searching.

Bella fell in love with a small fixer-upper house that was up for lease, and within our price range, as well. I watched her eyes as she gazed around each room, listening to her excitedly describe the different things she could do with each of the four. The joy on her face was impossible to ignore, and my mind was made up; anything that would make her smile like that, I would gladly give her, without reservation. We signed the lease the next morning and returned home to pack.

Reality seemed to hit her when it came time to say goodbye to our family and friends. She held it together while embracing Alice, who had moved in with Jasper after announcing their engagement following graduation. A few tears welled as my mother gave her an emotional hug, whispering for her to take care of "her baby". But then, the final farewell of the evening came … her father and stepmother.

After a tear-filled embrace between Bella and Sue, Chief Swan cleared his throat and reached out for his daughter's hand. Once she'd gently taken it, he led her silently down the hall to the kitchen and only soft, indistinct murmurings could be heard from where I remained on the couch. I felt Sue sit down beside me and I looked over to her, catching the soft, but slightly sad smile she wore.

"We're going to miss you two, you know. It'll be strange to not have our Sundays for a while," Sue said softly with a sniffle, and I watched the subtle, hopeful look in her eyes.

I placed my hand over her folded ones on her lap and gave them a gentle squeeze. "_Only_ for a while."

My reassuring tone seemed to have the desired effect and she let out a breath, clasping my hand between hers. "Charlie is taking this really hard, and though he'll probably never admit to it, he does like you, Edward. He wouldn't trust just anyone to take his little girl so far away again."

"Thank you," I replied, unsure of what else to say. While it _was_ a comforting thought to know that my girlfriend's father didn't hate me and I didn't have to immediately worry about a firearm of any kind, there was still that one continually nagging feeling. That he _did _look at me as the guy who was taking his little girl away again.

I was still staring at my feet when Bella and her father returned to the living room. Her tears were flowing unrestrained down her face and Chief Swan was fighting back his own. I stood from the couch and moved toward them, wanting more than anything to take her into my arms and comfort her. However, I could see from the way she was leaning her head on his shoulder, with his arm securely around her, that it was not what she needed at that moment.

"I'll take good care of her, Chief Swan. I swear," I said and he nodded silently with his lips pressed to the top of her head.

"I know you will, son," he mumbled as he straightened, rubbing his hand gently down Bella's arm. Public displays of affection had never been his strong suit in all the time I'd known him, or in any interaction I'd witnessed with his daughter or wife. Yet, he seemed extremely hesitant to release her, either. "You'll never be so far away that I can't buy a plane ticket if you ever hurt her."

"I can assure that it will never be necessary," I replied in what I hoped was a convincing tone. But even I could hear the slight tremble in my voice.

"Okay, you two have an early start in the morning. You should probably go get some sleep," he said with another clearing of his throat, turning Bella to look at him. "I love you, kid."

"I love you, too, Dad," Bella replied, hugging him tightly one more time and kissing his cheek. "Remember, you promised to get a computer so we could email."

Chief Swan released a half laugh and nodded. "I know. I will. I'd only get one of those things for _you_."

Once we stepped outside, I wrapped my arm around her and she clung securely to my waist until we reached the car. She lowered herself inside silently and stayed quiet for the entire ride to the motel we were staying at for the night, with the exception of an occasional sniffle. As we were getting ready for bed, I watched as she splashed water on her face at the sink before she came to pull the covers down and slide beneath them.

I laid down beside her and she immediately curled to my side, hugging her body firmly against me. I embraced her and kissed her hair. "You could have stayed at your dad's tonight, you know. Given you a little more time."

"No, it's better this way," she replied softly, nuzzling her cheek against my chest. "I still would have had to say goodbye in the morning, and it might have been harder. It didn't feel so final tonight, knowing I'd still be in Forks, even if it's only for tonight. Not letting go of everything all at once, you know?"

"I want to come back for good, Bella," I mumbled quietly into her hair and she lifted her head to look up at me. "When I'm done with school, this is where I want to be. Near our families. Maybe even Seattle. You're never going to have to really let go, baby."

A smile touched her lips, growing as she draped her leg over mine. "You actually think that far into the future?"

"Of course. Don't you?" I replied, feeling the crease in my forehead deepen as I gazed at her.

"Well, yeah. It's just that, four years is a long ways away," Bella said, lowering her eyes to watch the pattern her finger was drawing on my chest.

"Bella, I wouldn't care if it was four _hundred_," I whispered, gently brushing her hair back from her face. "I'm always going to want you in my life, and your happiness is mine, as well. Even if I _didn't_ want to come back home, my future is wherever you are."

"But you _do_ want to, right?" she asked uncertainly, her eyes flickering slightly.

I smiled and pulled her to lie on top of me, linking my hands at the small of her back. "Yes, Bella. I _want_ to. _This_ is where I'd like to marry you someday, with everyone that's important to us there. And raise our children, and grow very, _very_ old with you."

"Wow. That really _is_ thinking far ahead," she said with a small chuckle and I lifted a brow at her, and her eyes widened suddenly. "Not that it's a bad thing. Just … wow. Wasn't something I expected to hear quite yet. Years from now, maybe."

"You think _you'll_ still want _me,_ years from now?" I asked in a teasing tone, to which she rolled her eyes and flipped our bodies so that I was above her instead.

"As much, if not more, than I do right now," Bella replied, her voice lowering suggestively before pulling my lips to hers in a passionate kiss and arching her body against me. "One last time before we leave?"

She didn't have to ask _me_ twice.


	5. Close Enough To Perfect

**A/N: As I started writing the first part of this chapter, the song "Close Enough To Perfect" by Alabama kept playing over and over in my head, and was actually the first song, with the exception of the original inspiration, that actually inspired an entire scene. So hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Close Enough To Perfect<strong>

Living with a woman, I came to find, was a lot different than I thought it would be—but not really in a _bad_ way.

When we were just spending nights at a time together, there was still that dating pretense that we constantly endeavored to be as close to perfect for each other as possible. I would wait until she'd go home before I would shave, so she wouldn't see the beard trimmings in the sink if I didn't manage to get them all. My dirty laundry was diligently hidden from her view. And I _always_ did a Flight of the Bumblebee cleanup of the apartment before she came back. On that same token, she always managed to get up before me to brush her hair and teeth in the morning before returning to bed next to me, never left so much as a dirty glass on my kitchen counter, and I only saw the sexy sleepwear when she spent the night.

That was a difficult regime to maintain while living together all the time, and after a few weeks, between school and work, it all slowly began to taper off.

She finally saw the beard trimmings and the laundry, since she was the neat freak of the two of us, and cleaned everything herself. I saw the holey sweatpants and the ten sizes too big t-shirt she wore on Saturdays, which was her day to do all of it. She realized I sometimes forgot to put the toilet lid down, and with the first growl I heard from her in response to that, it took everything in me not to laugh. When she caught the stomach flu, she didn't restrain the grumpiness it caused her, for which I teased her about once she was better. However, it was an amazing feeling to take care of her and be that needed. We saw every flaw and imperfection in each other, and it never lessened our love and desire for the other; in fact, it grew and made everything feel more real.

And then, one Sunday, we were sitting on the couch watching football, drinking beer and enjoying our first day off together in weeks. As she sat up to yell at a bad play, a loud belch escaped her, and she instantly brought her hands up to her mouth and blushed when I stared at her in disbelief. However, she recovered quickly and swatted my stomach lightly before leaning back against my chest, muttering under her breath. "Eh, fuck it. You live with me, you can deal with it. It's not like you're not equally as disgusting at times."

I laughed and wrapped my arms around her, kissing her temple and resumed watching the game. God, how I loved that woman.

**x-x-x**

All couples are eventually bound to fight, and as amazing as it was that Bella and I had yet to have even a serious argument, I knew that at some point, it would inevitably happen to us as well.

And boy, was the first one a whopper.

We'd been planning for months to head back to Forks for the first couple weeks of summer, to visit. But with everything I'd had on my mind between finals and my job, I kept forgetting to submit my request for time off at work. And by the time I remembered, all the slots had been filled for the entire month following. Even though, it might not have been the _best_ job—I was a busboy at one of the restaurants down the road from the apartment—I couldn't risk losing it.

My stomach was in knots all the way home, knowing that Bella would not be happy in the least with what I was about to tell her. And that turned out to be the understatement of the century.

"What do you mean you can't go? Edward, you were supposed to put that request in _weeks_ ago," Bella exclaimed, slapping her hand on the kitchen counter in frustration.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I forgot. I've had a lot on my mind lately," I replied, falling back on the couch and driving my hands into my hair.

"Like I haven't? I haven't been working _and_ studying for finals, too? Just because I don't go to some big, fancy campus every day doesn't mean that I have any less of a workload or deadlines. But I still managed to remember something as important as this!" she yelled back, waving her arms out. "At least, it's important to _me_."

I stood abruptly, glaring across the room at her. "You honestly think I don't _want_ to see my family? That I'd rather be here cleaning tables? Yes, that sounds _so_ much better than going back home. You caught me."

Bella's eyes narrowed as she folded her arms over her chest at my sarcastic tone. "_Don't_ get pissy with me, Edward Cullen. I've been reminding you at _least_ twice a week to put that request in, for months. And now, you're not even going to be there for your own birthday party. Do you have _any_ idea how much time and work your mother has put into this? She's going to be crushed!"

"Oh, how could I _possibly_ forget that when I hear about it on a nearly daily basis from _both_ of you," I snapped, raising my voice more than I ever had before.

"But yet, you _did_ forget the accompanying responsibility somehow, even with all that reminding," she said in irritation, stomping over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

"Reminding and nagging are two very different things. Maybe my brain just blocked it all out in the middle of getting covered in coffee, soda and ketchup each damn night, every fucking shift."

"Nagging, huh? Fine, I'll make a mental note to _never_ tell you _anything_ anymore, then maybe your brain will function halfway good enough," Bella retorted and I watched her angry tears begin to form. "I didn't tell you to take that shit job of yours, so _don't _take it out on me that you hate it so much."

"I didn't have much of a _choice_! I had to take a job that would work around my class schedule, and there aren't many cushy desk jobs I can do at night," I jabbed and her breath left her in a rush with my statement.

"Oh, so now I'm the bad guy because I can work during the day? Like I really _enjoy_ working the opposite shift from you so that I can rarely even see you, _if_ we ever manage to get a day off together. Since we are both so exhausted by the time you get home at night, we're lucky if we have energy enough to snuggle a little before we're rendered unconscious. No, I don't miss spending time with my boyfriend or, god forbid, having sex with him, at all. Anything else you want to blame on me while you're at it?" she growled with a clenched jaw and her eyes carrying a heavy load of hurt in them.

"I'm not _blaming_ you for anything! But we can't afford for me to lose this job. I don't have a lot of options here. But you're acting like I don't miss those things, too, or _want_ to go home and get a break from all this," I replied, gesturing my arm aimlessly around me.

"Well, you'll get a break from _one_ thing in 'all this'," Bella said, mimicking my words and actions. "I'm still going. So, you'll be free of my _nagging_!"

I watched her throw the water bottle into the sink and storm across the apartment to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her and I landed hard on the couch, rubbing my hands roughly over my face.

_What an ass I am_, I thought, regret and guilt from the last few minutes bubbling to the surface. I couldn't believe half of what I'd just said to her. My pent up irritation and frustration from the past few weeks and the events of that night were not her fault. Nor was the fact that I hated my dead end, but necessary job with a burning passion, and the useless feeling it incited in me. And I'd hurt the most important woman in my life because of it—well, that and I was a complete idiot.

I stood and made my way to the bedroom door, attempting to turn the knob and finding it locked. I knocked softly and called out her name, only to be met with a resounding and tear-filled "go away."

"Bella, please. I'm sorry," I said, resting my forehead against the wood.

"Too little too late, Edward. Leave me alone," she mumbled so softly that I barely heard her.

I sighed heavily and walked back to the couch, lying down with an exasperated breath and staring at the ceiling. My thoughts haunted me all night, terrified that I had just destroyed the best thing that ever happened in my sad, pathetic life. I couldn't figure out what had just come over me. I didn't yell or even get really angry with the people I cared about, and I _never_ took things out on anyone undeservedly. But I did that night, and listened to her soft cries from the bedroom as a result of that.

Who the hell _was_ I? Because I sure as hell couldn't recognize him.

The bedroom door opened hours later and I sat up at the sound of the wheels of her suitcase rolling across the carpet. I shot off the couch to stand and walk toward her. "Bella, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to see my parents," Bella replied flatly, her features drawn and pale, and appearing as if she hadn't slept at all, either.

"But the flight isn't until Friday," I said in a panic, which increased when she wouldn't meet my eyes. "Baby, please don't go. Can we just sit down and talk?"

"I can't talk to you right now. I cancelled our tickets for Friday and managed to get enough of a refund, despite the short notice, to partially pay for a sooner one. I need some time to think," she murmured softly, finally bringing her gaze to meet mine. "I love you, but I don't like you very much right now. At least, not the man I saw last night. I never imagined that you would _ever_ hurt me like that. _My_ Edward wouldn't."

"That man is gone, I promise. I don't know what that was, but I swear, I didn't mean any of it," I pleaded, placing my hand on her shoulder but she shrunk back from my touch.

"It had to come from somewhere, Edward. Even if it's way beneath the surface. I think we both just need some space," she answered in a soft tone, lowering her eyes again.

_Space_. Wasn't "space" usually some kind of code for breaking up, moving on? My heart shattered more with each word she spoke and I stiffly began stepping back from her. "Is this over?"

Bella winced slightly and her hand gripped the handle of her suitcase again. "We'll talk when I get back. I just really have to go now. And the cab should be here any minute."

"Bella, please. I love you," I called out, following her and stopping a few steps back from her as she froze in the doorway.

"I love you, too. But I can't stay here right now and have us say more things that we'll regret," she said over her shoulder and then continued out, closing the door behind her.

**x-x-x**

The following two weeks were absolute hell. Bella would text me every day, so I knew she wasn't completely ignoring me. But they were always generic messages, telling me how everything and everyone was out there, and she would never answer when I would try to call her. Each one would be sent straight to voicemail and were followed by the same text every time.

_Not yet._

Two days before she was due to return, I sent her one to ask what time her flight was due to come in and if I should pick her up at the airport. It went unanswered for hours and the panic I'd been trying to subdue in all that time began hitting me full force.

Was she not coming back and afraid to tell me? Did her "time to think" result in her realizing that maybe in the whirlwind of our relationship that we moved too fast and was based more on the thrill of it all? Or did she simply come to the conclusion that she might not really love me as much as she thought?

I always tended to think the absolute worst when my fears gripped me that way, and I couldn't even find the desire to get up of the couch and shower. I even went so far as to call out of work that night, which I _never_ did, too emotionally and physically exhausted to make the attempt at putting on a courteous face for anyone.

I'd heard the term "love hurts" many times in my life, but I had never imagined that it could hurt _that_ much. It never had in all the time I'd been with Bella, and I had eventually come to the conclusion that it must only do so if it's wrong. But she and I weren't _wrong_, were we? Everything had been so good until _I_ had to go and be a complete jackass. What if she couldn't forgive me? What if she really did never come back to me? I couldn't imagine my life without her anymore, and that thought tore through my soul as shameless tears began streaming down my face.

A loud thump from the hallway caught my attention, followed by muttered profanities and the sound of metal scraping against metal on the doorknob. I began to rise from the couch to investigate before the door swung open, revealing the travel worn and tear-stained face of my beautiful Bella. We stood staring at each other for several agonizing moments before she dropped her bags and keys to the floor and rushed toward me. Before I could even take two consecutive steps forward, she threw her arms around my neck, holding me tightly against her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Bella cried into my shoulder, her body trembling with her sobs. "I love you so much. Please tell me you forgive me."

My arms gripped tightly around her waist, unable to believe that she was really there and I wasn't simply comforting myself by imagining it all. I felt her lips pressing feverishly along my neck and her tears dampening my jaw, and I secured my hold around her even more. "Oh God, baby. I thought I'd lost you."

Bella pulled back and took my face between her hands, shaking her head. "Never. That would never happen. You're not _ever_ losing me."

"But that fight … the things I said …" I choked out, my hands resting firmly on her waist.

"It was just that, Edward. A fight. Everyone has them and says things they don't mean. I'm sorry I wasn't more understanding. I was just so disappointed that I wouldn't have you with me. Our first vacation and we had to spend it apart," she cried, tracing her fingers along my cheek. "And it was horrible. I missed you every single second. I never want to be away from you like that again. I couldn't even sleep without you next to me anymore."

"Neither could I, baby," I replied in a whisper, lowering my lips to hers and kissing her with heated ferocity. "I love you, Bella. So much."

She whimpered against my lips, sliding her arms back around my shoulders and moving her mouth in perfect rhythm with mine, until we parted for breath. "We should probably close the door. I'd like to ravage my boyfriend a bit before he has to go to work."

"No work today. I called out. Missed my girl a little too much to be able to focus," I replied, running my hands along her back before kissing her forehead and moving around her to go close the apartment door.

I returned to her quickly and swept her into my arms, my previous exhaustion forgotten; too wrapped up in the moment of finally having my Bella back.

"Good. I'm not quite ready to let you go again yet," she whispered, her lips returning to my neck as I carried her to the bedroom and settled her body gently onto the mattress.

The first genuine smile I had been able to conjure in over two weeks spread across my face, matching hers as she grabbed the front of my t-shirt to pull me down to her. My lips met hers again, only breaking contact long enough to shed the clothing between us until every inch of our skin that we could manage was touching. Our hips rolled together at a desperate pace and her groan rumbled against me as her legs wrapped around mine. Without another word, I slid inside her and felt her nails digging into my shoulders as she pressed up to meet me.

"Gentle later, baby. I need you so bad right now," she panted, tugging lightly at my lower lip with her teeth for effect.

Burying my face into her neck, I began a rhythm of rapid thrusts, a strangled cry escaping her. That unique sound of hers that only came from our more heated, passionate encounters.

Her breath was frozen in her chest, eyes squeezed shut, and her head tilted back with parted lips. I felt every muscle in her body tense in response before releasing a loud groan from her throat and gripping my shoulders tightly. My teeth grazed along her neck before I suckled lightly on her skin, causing something between a grunt and a hiss to sound from Bella and her hands lowered to grip me ass. She began pulling me more insistently against her, driving me as deep inside as she could.

"Oh shit, baby. I'm almost … there," I strangled out as my throat began to close with my tensing body.

"Me too. Just a little more," she panted against my collarbone, rolling her hips into my thrusts.

A shiver ran through her entire body and her hands gripped me firmly as her breath stilled with the orgasm raging through her. I held back as long as I could to allow her to ride it out, but the sensations were too overwhelming and I released inside her before she could even begin to come down. Bella hummed softly at the feeling and her hands slid up my back to curl around my shoulders, pressing her breasts flush against me.

I finally collapsed on top of her, breathlessly trailing kisses along her neck and across her collarbone before resting my forehead beside her on the pillow. I felt her fingers tracing lightly over the sheen of perspiration coating my skin and weaving into my dampened hair, holding me tightly.

"I've missed you so much, baby. I love you," I whispered softly into her ear.

A shuddering breath escaped her lips, followed by a soft sniffle and a brush of her lips against my jaw. "I love you, too."

I lifted my head to gaze down at her, finding tears streaming from her eyes. My worry escalated, as it had the one and only other time she'd cried in bed with me that way. I grazed her cheek gently with the backs of my fingers, wiping them away. "Bella, what's the matter?"

She opened her eyes to meet mine and shook her head slowly, bringing her hand to wrap around mine and kissing the heel of my palm. "Nothing."

"Then why are you crying?" I asked gently as I shifted my body to lie beside her and pulled her into my arms.

"I just can't believe I almost messed this up. And with stupid, stubborn bullshit," she berated herself, pressing her lips to my chest as her arm slid around my waist.

"It was just a fight, remember?" I mumbled into her hair, securing my embrace around her. "I made a big mistake, too. I should have fought harder for you."

Bella's gaze rose and she kissed me gently, nuzzling her nose with mine as our lips parted. "No more mistakes like this, for either of us. I can't lose you."

"Never, Bella. You'll never lose me, either," I whispered, reiterating her words from earlier. She smiled and our lips touched once more before she snuggled into my chest.

And for the first time in two weeks, I fell into an effortless, sound sleep with my Bella in my arms. My world was right again.


	6. Stepping Stones to the Future

**Stepping Stones to the Future**

As much as that time away from Bella tore me apart, I found myself oddly grateful for it. Our relationship had never been stronger, and even though we would still argue from time to time, it never escalated to the magnitude of that night. We learned to talk things through once we calmed down, and finally took our parents' advice and _never_ went to bed angry again. Even if that meant staying awake into the early hours of the morning until it was resolved.

It made the final three years at Harvard pass much more fluidly, and before we knew it, my graduation was fast approaching. Bella had already earned her Master's degree two years prior, and opted to wait until we returned to Washington before making a decision on taking the next step in furthering her education. That left more time for the two of us to spend together, with only _my_ nose buried in books and assignments each night. And I definitely benefitted from her new endeavor to pass the time while I studied—learning to cook. For the most part, she was a natural, with the occasional mishap here or there, but I never complained, even with the worst of them.

However, I'd never enjoyed watching her in the kitchen quite as much as the night my parents were due to arrive, the evening before my graduation ceremony. A _lot_ of cursing escaped her lips and she repeatedly called me over to taste each of the different things she had cooking on the stove.

"Baby, it's just as amazing as everything else. But you know, you could have cooked _spaghetti_, and my parents would have been okay with that. You _do_ make a mean sauce, after all," I murmured, lightly brushing my lips over her neck after one such taste test.

"Edward, we are _not_ celebrating your graduation from _Harvard_ with freakin' spaghetti!" she retorted, lightly elbowing my stomach but I caught the hint of a smirk trying to break through. "I could make that _before_."

"You spoil me, woman," I whispered playfully, tickling her sides and making her squirm. "I'm going to end up a fat old man if you keep feeding me like this."

"Nah, I'll make sure you work it all off every night," she replied, causing me to growl and press my body flush against her from my stance behind her. She laughed and lightly swatted my hand on her stomach. "Stop. None of that. Your parents are going to be here soon and I can't be distracted. Burning our meal would force us into take-out."

I chuckled as her body shuddered at the thought and kissed her cheek before moving back from her, but not before taking the opportunity to tap her ass with my hand. "You're such a tease, baby."

"The best," she replied with a smirk and a wink over her shoulder and then resumed her task at the stove.

Once my parents arrived, dinner passed smoothly with easy conversation, and it never ceased to amaze me how much they adored Bella. She was already like a daughter to them, and they were just as anxious as I was for her to become an official member of the Cullen family. And my mother never failed to inquire each time she saw us, when that actualization might come to pass.

I could also hardly believe how much Bella meant to me, and just when I thought I couldn't possibly love her more, I somehow always managed to find that I did. Bella was my everything, and if I could have, I would've already married her years before. But I wanted everything to be perfect for her, for us. We'd discussed marriage on and off for a while, and it was just as important to her as it was to me to finish up school and be back home before we made that kind of step. We wanted the big wedding with all of our family and friends there, settled into the house that would become our home, where we would raise our children. We both wanted three kids before we reached thirty-five, which still gave us plenty of time to establish ourselves in our home and careers, and start our family.

"When we're ready, Mom," I answered her inquiry that night, just as I had every other time, while Bella went about cleaning the kitchen.

"Well, you're done with school and moving back home now," my mother hinted anxiously, a smile touching her lips.

"And I've got a job to start, a bar exam to pass, and we still need to close on the house. Things are far from settled," I replied, shaking my head and then lowered my voice. "And there aren't very many places here to hide a ring without risking her seeing it before or during packing."

A relieved smile crossed my father's face as he looked at me. "So, you haven't changed your mind at all?"

I took a deep breath, turning my head to gaze into the kitchen just as Bella glanced over her shoulder to look at me. She gave me the most devastatingly beautiful smile that still sent my heart racing at the sight, and I returned it before replying, "No, definitely not."

**x-x-x**

My graduation ceremony seemed to drag on endlessly and I rushed outside the moment it was over to find my parents and Bella. My mother's embrace engulfed me the instant she spotted me coming toward them, her eyes welled with tears of pride, while my father patted my back in congratulations. I looked to Bella standing behind them, patiently waiting her turn. Once I was finally released, I stepped toward her and watched her smile grow.

"Come here, Mr. Harvard Graduate," she beamed, throwing her arms around my neck and hugging me tightly. "I am so unbelievably proud of you."

"Thank you, baby. And thanks for putting up with me," I whispered into her hair, my arms locking around her. She really had been so incredibly patient in the last few years, so understanding when I had to put my studies first, even though I did try to make it up to her as often as possible.

She pulled back and smiled tearily at me, and then kissed me firmly.

A flash from beside me caused us both to jump and we looked toward the source to find my mother lowering her camera. My embrace secured on Bella as she buried her face in my chest, blushing furiously at being caught in her sudden impulse. "Mom, was that really necessary?"

My mother smiled unabashedly and nodded. "Absolutely. That's going to make for a beautiful addition to our family album."

After several more pictures, ending in one of me and Bella, with my graduation cap atop her head, we made our way out to our cars. As we walked, I leaned toward my mother and whispered, "Do you think I could get a copy of that first one in a frame?"

Bella's hand rose to cover her still tinted face, pinching my side with the other, and bringing a round of laughter to escape each of us, even the blushing beauty at my side.

**x-x-x**

The following week passed quickly in a torrent of packing up the remainder of the house, and shipping back whatever we couldn't fit in my car and the U-Haul. The final night we spent there, we laid together on a blanket and pillows on the living room floor, after making love one last time in the place we'd called home for a majority of our time together.

"I'm going to miss this place a bit," Bella said with a slightly sad tone to her voice, her head settled on my chest. "Our first house together. It's kinda special, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but think of how much fun you're going to have decorating the new house once we move in," I replied softly, kissing her hair.

Bella looked up at me and nodded with a smile. She had really worked wonders on the current house over the years, to the point that it barely resembled the fixer-upper we'd stepped into when we first arrived. Even with our limited time and income, she'd managed to paint every room, made drapes for each window, and added little things here and there that gave it that warm, welcoming feeling. And I had to admit, I rather enjoyed watching a frazzled, paint-spackled Bella hard at work, and couldn't wait to be witness to it again. "That's true. And don't think I'm letting you off so easily next time, mister. You're _going_ to be helping me with the new house."

Her stern scolding fell short as she began to giggle, and I gave a dramatic sigh and jokingly rolled my eyes. "Fine, boss. If I _must_."

Bella pressed her lips together and nudged my stomach with her knuckles before rising to straddle my hips. "Oh, you better. Or you will find yourself spending more nights _not_ getting lucky and sleeping on the couch."

"Is that a fact?" I replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup. And then, you'll end up with an even _grumpier_ Bella on your hands, without my daily dose of this body," she murmured against my lips and rolled against my reawakening erection.

I gripped her waist and flipped her onto her back, settling between her legs. "Well, we can't have that, now can we?"

Her nails dragged along my back as my mouth sealed over hers, moaning softly as I glided my length against her over and over. "Mmm, definitely not. Might even need an extra round or two to relieve all that tension. Would be such a shame to waste it all."

With her sultry tone and teasing touch, I buried myself inside her again. "Once more for good measure."

**x-x-x**

Being back home was refreshing. It was so good to spend time with my family, as well as Emmett and Jasper, without any hindrance of time restraint. A normal pattern began to develop with dinner at my parents' house a night or two a week, resuming our Sundays with hers, and everything seemed to have fallen into place.

However, nothing compared to the feeling we had the day we signed the papers and received the keys to our own first home. After a year of searching, and once I'd secured the job I currently held at a local law firm as an assistant until I passed the bar, we found what we were looking for a few months before we moved back. It was a small, two-story house, that happened to be located halfway between our parents'. We'd talked about settling in Seattle as she'd always wanted, but after eight years in busy college areas for the both of us, we decided that a big city was not overly appealing to us anymore. We also didn't particularly want the long commute between us and our families, after the last four years we'd spent on the other side of the country.

Immediately following the signing, we drove over to the house and stood out front, staring up at it with our arms wrapped around each other. Though it had been only weeks, it had seemed like forever since we'd been together in our own space, with the semblance of privacy it afforded. I missed having Bella next to me every single night while she stayed at her father's, resulting in several late night phone calls from one of us to the other. Sex had gone on hiatus for the time being, since neither of us particularly felt too "in the mood", even as adults, while under our parents' roofs. Especially after being used to the lack of restraint both vocally or in respect to location—it just wasn't the same.

But the structure before us was our house. _Our_ house. With _our_ names in black and white on those papers, not a lease or a rental agreement.

"Let's go inside," I said excitedly, tugging lightly at her waist and urging her forward with me up the front walk.

"Edward! None of our stuff is even here yet!" she laughed beside me, but offered no resistance to my efforts.

Once we reached the door, we were both buzzing with excitement as I turned the key in the lock and swung it open. Hardwood floors and blank white walls filled our view, but before she could step inside, I caught her elbow and swept her into my arms to carry her through the doorway.

Her laugh echoed through the empty front hall as her arms encircled my neck. "Isn't this a little premature?"

"Not at all. There is no rule that says that I can't carry you over the threshold of our home as both my girlfriend _and_ my wife," I replied with a smile, kissing her gently as I set her feet back down on the floor. "Someday, I'll make an honest woman out of you."

"Well, I certainly hope so. And preferably before you get me barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. My dad's trigger finger only has _so_ much restraint, you know," Bella teased, her arms never breaking their hold around my neck.

"I won't tempt it, I promise."


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

All the events of the years behind us continued to flood my mind throughout our long walk on the beach, while we enjoyed one of the last warm evenings of the summer.

It was five years ago that night, where my life changed forever on that very beach.

The look on Bella's face when we'd pulled up to it was indescribable, tears filling her eyes as she shakily got out of the car and barely registering when I took her hand. I had told her I was taking her somewhere special to celebrate our five amazing years together, but she thought I'd meant a fancy dinner somewhere or maybe even a night on the town up in Seattle. Her reaction made me a little nervous until she pulled me to her, pressing her lips to mine and holding me tightly against her.

"You are, without a doubt, the most wonderful man in the world. This is … perfect," she said, tears streaming down her cheeks as our foreheads rested together. "Now, I'm taking off these godforsaken heels. There's no way I'm attempting to walk through sand in them."

As soon as we'd both taken our shoes off and tossed them into the car, we wrapped our arms around each other and began our walk, enjoying the soft crashes of the waves hitting the sand. She shrieked softly when the chilled water washed up to the side of her foot, pressing her body against my side and blushing as it caught the attention of a group of college kids just starting up their own bonfire further down the beach. In almost the exact same spot where I'd spotted her, in that old green hoodie that she still wore every once in a while, despite my many attempts to permanently dispose of it. I remembered thinking how she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, but I was wrong. The woman she'd become in the time since was infinitely more beautiful; face, mind, and soul. And standing there, five years later, I was more in love with her that I could have ever imagined that night.

I gently rubbed my hand along her arm and kissed her temple, bringing her eyes back to me and she smiled. "Bella, I have something I'd like to say to you."

Our steps slowed to a stop and her gaze never left me, and I watched as she swallowed hard. "What's that?"

I moved in front of her, taking her hands in mine and lacing our fingers together. "I cannot imagine where my life would be right now if you had never come into it. I'd probably still be that nerdy loner who was too scared to go up and say hi to the pretty girl he saw on the beach, or who sweat profusely over making that first phone call. I will most likely never figure out what I've done in my life to deserve someone as patient and understanding, and who loves me as unconditionally as you do. So, I may joke around a lot, but I don't just want to make an honest woman out of you. I want to spend the rest of my life trying to be the man you see when you look at me."

Bella's lip trembled with her eyes welling again as I released one of her hands to reach into my pocket, blocking out the murmurings around us that once would have made me exceedingly self-conscious. But nothing could take away from that moment with her as I lowered onto my knee and opened the box in my hand, revealing the diamond ring that had been sitting in my father's desk since the day after we arrived in Forks.

"If you'll let me," I finished as I gazed up at her.

She chuckled softly, bringing her free hand to her lips as the tears made their way down her cheeks. "You're _still _a nerd."

My brow furrowed and I searched her face for a moment before replying, "Uh, okay. Thanks?"

Bella's head began to shake as she lowered down to kneel in front of me, taking my face between her hands. "I loved it about you then, and I love it even more now. I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with anything less than the man I fell in love with, right here in this spot."

My lips began to twitch with a smile as her thumbs brushed lightly over my cheeks. "Really?"

"Abso-freaking-lutely," she replied with a giggle, watching as I pulled the ring from the box and glided it onto her left hand. She gazed at it for a moment in its new home, before meeting my eyes again. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered and our lips met slowly to the sound of catcalls and whistles behind us, but I still couldn't be brought to care.

Bella was going to be my wife. We were going to have our beautiful life, I looked forward to watching her grow round with each of our three kids, and maybe we'd even get a dog. And in that moment, once again, I didn't think it was possible to love her more than I did right then.

But I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

_The End_

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><p><strong>Thank you<strong> **all so much for reading my little short fic that I could not get out of my head. Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Take care!**


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